My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ Heath Bell ’

Yesterday afternoon, the Phils get creamed for five runs in the bottom of the seven inning, before they lose to the Rays, 6-1.

The Phils took the lead in the top of the fourth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Wil Nieves hits an RBI single, knocking in Leandro Castro, who had earlier doubled, then stopped at third base on Freddy Galvis’ single, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, before Galvis, who had earlier singled, is thrown out at third base, 9-5, for the inning’s second out. The score would remain 1-0 Phils until the bottom of the seventh as the Rays tied the game up at one-all as, with two men on, and with one man out, Justin Christian, who had earlier walked, then stopped at third base on Jeremy Moore’s double, would score on Vince Belnome’s fielder’s choice ground ball to first baseman Darin Ruf, beating the throw to the plate, as Moore, who had earlier doubled, would move up to third base on the throw home. The Rays then took the lead three batters later, with the bases now loaded, after Moore is thrown out on a fielder’s choice throw to the plate on Eddy Rodriguez’s ground ball to the pitcher Michael Stutes, 1-2, for the inning’s second out, while Belnome would move up to second base, and then a walk to Jerry Sands, moving up both runners, and with two men out, Ray Olmedo hits a two-run single, knocking in Belnome and Rodriguez, giving the Rays a 3-1 lead, while sending Sands over to third base. The Rays then made it a 5-1 lead as Cole Figueroa hits a two-run double, scoring both Sands and Olmedo, before going on to third on the throw to the plate. The Rays added to their lead in the bottom of the eighth as, with two men out. Moore hits a solo home run, his first home run of the spring, giving the Rays a 6-1 lead. That would be the final score as Kirby Yates threw a 1-2-3 ninth.

Roberto Hernandez pitched three strong innings, giving up just a hit, while striking out three. Jeff Manship recorded his first hold of the spring as he recorded two scoreless innings, giving up a hit, as he struck out two. Phillippe Aumont also recorded his first hold of the spring as he pitched a scoreless inning, hitting a batter. Michael Stutes recorded his first blown save of the spring before taking the lost (0-1, 22.50), as he pitched an inning, giving up five runs on three hits and two walks. Justin De Fratus pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Matt Moore pitched one and two-thirds innings, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out two. C.J. Riefenhauser pitched an inning and a third, giving up a hit and a walk. Heath Bell pitched an inning, giving up a run on three hits, while striking out a batter. Brandon Gomes and Josh Lueke combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a walk between them (Gomes), while striking out two (Gomes). Merrill Kelly (1-0, 0.00) got the win as he pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out one. Kirby Yates threw a 1-2-3 inning.

The Phils had seven hits in the game, with Maikel Franco leading the team with two hits, both singles. Ben Revere (Single), Darin Ruf (Single), Leandro Castro (Double), Freddy Galvis (Single) and Wil Nieves (Single, RBI), had the other five Phils’ hit. The Phils also had four walks (Dom Brown (2), Ruf, pinch hitter Reid Brignac), and a stolen base (Revere (1)), in the game, while the defense performed a doubleplay.

The Phils’ next game is being played tonight against the Blue Jays at Bright House Field in a game already in progress.

The Phils split their series with the D-backs by coming from behind to defeat the snake in extra-innings, winning by the score of 4-2.

The D-backs took the lead in the bottom of the first as Gerardo Parra hits a lead-off home run, his third home run of the season, giving the D-backs a 1-0 lead. Five batters later, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, the D-backs made it a 2-0 lead as A.J. Pollock hits an RBI single, knocking in Eric Chavez, who had earlier reached base on a fielder’s choice grounder as first baseman Ryan Howard threw home, trying to throw out at the plate Didi Gregorius, who had earlier tripled, but who would get back to third when catcher Erik Kratz took too long before throwing the ball to third baseman Freddy Galvis, while Chavez would move up to second base on the defensive mistake, before going on to third base on Miguel Montero’s fielder’s choice ground out, 3-2, as Kratz tagged out Gregorius at home plate. That would remain the score until the top of the ninth, as Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick is able to hold off the D-backs for the next six innings, followed by Jeremy Horst for an inning, while the D-backs’ starter, Brandon McCarthy shut down the Phils for eight innings. But, the Phils would get on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Delmon Young hits an RBI double, knocking in Chase Utley, who had started the inning off with a double, just missing a home run, and moving up to third base on Howard’s ground out, 4-3, cutting the D-backs’ lead to 2-1. The Phils then tied the game up at two-all one batter later as Dom Brown hits an RBI single, scoring pinch-runner John Mayberry, Jr. The Phils took the lead in the top of the tenth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Howard hits an RBI single, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Utley’s double, and Utley, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 4-2 lead. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon collected his seventh save of the season with a scoreless inning.

Kyle Kendrick received a no-decision as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up only two runs on six hits, as he struck out four. Jeremy Horst pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Antonio Bastardo pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a walk, while striking out one. Justin De Fratus (1-0, 0.00) picked up the win as he pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only batter who he would face. Jonathan Papelbon picked up his seventh save of the year as he pitched a scoreless tenth, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Brandon McCarthy also received a no-decision as he threw eight strong innings, giving up seven scattered hits, while striking out five Phils. Heath Bell blew his second save attempt of the season, as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on four hits. Brad Ziegler pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man whom he would face. Matt Reynolds (0-1, 0.96) took the lost as he pitched an inning, giving up two runs on three hits, as he struck out two.

The Phils collected fifteen hits in the game, with Chase Utley (2 Singles, 2 Doubles) leading the team with four hits, followed by Freddy Galvis (Singles) with three and Delmon Young (Single, Double, RBI) and Dom Brown (Singles, RBI) with two hits apiece. Jimmy Rollins (Single), Ryan Howard (Single, 2 RBIs), pinch-hitter Carlos Ruiz (Single) and pinch-hitter Michael Young (Single) had the other four Phils’ hits.

Yet another good pitching effort by Cole Hamels is wasted by an offense that refuses to score runs for him, as they are handled by the D-backs, 2-1.

The D-backs took the lead in the bottom of the fifth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Patrick Corbin helps his own case by hitting an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Martin Prado, who had started the inning off with a single, moved to second base on Gerardo Parra’s single, then moved up to third on Cliff Pennington’s ground out, 1-3, giving the D-backs a 1-0 lead, while sending Parra, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Pennington’s ground out, on to third base. The D-backs then took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Parra hits a bunt ground out, 3-4, scoring Cody Ross, who had started the inning off with a double, then moved up to third base on Prado’s force out, 6-4, wiping out at second base Miguel Montero, who had just walked, for the inning’s first one, as Prado was safe at first, while moving Prado up to second base. The Phils got a run back in the top of the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Delmon Young, who is then forced out on a ground ball by Dom Brown, 3-6, a single by Carlos Ruiz, moving Brown up to second base, and a bloop single by John Mayberry, Jr., moving up a base both Brown and Ruiz, and with one man out, pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen hits into force out, 9-6, as Mayberry committed a base runner blunder by not moving fast enough to reach second base, thus denying Frandsen of a single, as Brown scores, making it a 2-1 D-backs’ lead, while Ruiz would move up to third base, and Frandsen would be safe at first. That would end up being the final score as Heath Bell collected his fourth save of the year by pitching a scoreless ninth.

Cole Hamels (1-5, 4.18) received the lost as he threw another quality start as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and five walks, while striking out three. Phillippe Aumont and Jeremy Horst combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Aumont) and three walks (Aumont (1), Horst (2)) between them, while striking out one (Horst). Patrick Corbin (5-0, 1.75) got the win as he went six and a third innings, giving up a run on four hits, two walks and a wild pitch, while striking out four. Matt Reynolds collected his third hold of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit. David Hernandez received his sixth hold of the year as he threw a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Heath Bell collected his fourth save of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit.

The Phils had six hits in the game, with Delmon Young (Singles) and Dom Brown (Single, Double) both leading the team with two hits each. Carlos Ruiz and John Mayberry, Jr. had the other two Phils’ hits, both singles. The only Phil run came in on pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen’s force out, thanks to Mayberry’s base running blunder. The Phils also had two walks (Chase Utley, Young) in the game.

The Phils (16-20, 3rd East) continue their series with the D-backs (20-15, 3rd West) with a night game tonight. The game will begin at 9:40 EDT (6:40 PDT) and will be played at Chase Field. The Phils will send to the mound Tyler Cloyd (0-0, -.-) who will be pitching in place of Roy Halladay, who was earlier this week placed on the DL with an elbow injury. Cloyd will be out to make to keep the Phils in the game. The D-backs will counter with Ian Kennedy (1-3, 5.19) who is coming off a loss against the Padres on May 5, as he threw five and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out five, in the D-backs’ 5-1 lost. He’s hoping to bounce back from that lost. The Phils will be out to even the series while hoping to find their bats in the Arizona heat.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Chase Utley hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had started the game off with a walk, then reached third base on Juan Pierre’s single, as he beat center fielder Gorkys Hernandez’s throw, while Pierre would move up to second base on the throw, just beating the throw to second base, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then took a 2-0 lead as Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI double, easily scoring Pierre. The Phils then added to their lead two batters later as, with Ruiz still on second base, as he just got back to second base as shortstop Jose Reyes’ throw to second base, after he had caught Dom Brown’s line drive for the inning’s second out, went wide of the bag, and with two men out, Nate Schierholtz hits an RBI single, knocking in Ruiz, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Marlins tried to get on the scoreboard in the fourth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Bryan Petersen, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Reyes’ double, tried to score on Giancarlo Stanton’s grounder to third, but is tagged out at the plate by catcher Ruiz, thanks to an excellent throw home by third baseman Pete Orr, for a 5-2 fielder’s choice out, as Stanton reached first base on the play, while Reyes, who had earlier doubled, stayed at second base. One batter later, after Cole Hamels had committed a throwing error as he tried to pick off Reyes at second base, allowing both Reyes and Stanton to move up a base, with runners once again on second and third, and now with two men out, the Marlins finally got on the scoreboard as Carlos Lee hits an RBI single, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead as Reyes scores, but, as Stanton tries to score as well, he is thrown out at home thanks to a strong throw by right fielder Brown, 9-2, as Ruiz applies the tag, for the inning’s final out. The Phils added an insurance run in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Brown hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Utley, who had started the inning off with a single, then stopped at third base on Ruiz’s single, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. That would end up being the final as Jonathan Papelbon recorded his thirty-eighth save of the season as he pitched a scoreless ninth.

Cole Hamels (17-6, 3.05) got the win as he went seven innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out eight. Antonio Bastardo collected his twenty-sixth hold of the year as he threw a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Jonathan received his thirty-eighth save of the year as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while striking out two. Nathan Eovaldi (4-13, 4.30) took the lost as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Dan Jennings pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter. Mike Dunn pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on three hits. Ryan Webb would pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up no runs or hits. Heath Bell pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz (RBI) leading the team with three hits, two singles and a double, followed by Nate Schierholtz (RBI) with two singles. Juan Pierre, Chase Utley (RBI), Darin Ruf and Pete Orr had the other four Phils’ hits, all singles. Dom Brown knocked in the final Phil’s run with a sacrifice fly. The Phils also had two walks in the ballgame.

The Phils (80-79, 3rd) will play their final series of the 2012 season against the Nats (96-63, 1st), starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Nationals Park and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (10-12, 4.08), who is coming off a lost against the Nats on September 26, as he lasted only two innings, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out a batter, in the Phils’ 8-4 lost. He will be trying to end 2012 with a good start. The Nats will counter with John Lannan (4-0, 4.23), who is coming off a win against the Phils on September 26, as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out three, in the Nats’ 8-4 win. He’ll be going for his third straight win against the Phils. The Phils will be out to keep the Nats from winning the division tonight.

The Phils win their sixth straight game as they finally reach the .500 mark as they hang on to defeat the Marlins, 9-7.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Jimmy Rollins and Juan Pierre, with Rollins stopping at second base, and a walk by Chase Utley, with both runners moving up a base, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard hits into a double play, 4-6-3, wiping out Utley at second base for the inning’s first out, scoring Rollins, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Pierre over to third base. The Phils then took a 2-0 lead as Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI double, scoring Pierre. The Phils then increased their lead as Dom Brown hits an RBI single, knocking in Ruiz, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Marlins got a run back in the third as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Donovan Solano and Rob Brantley, a sacrifice bunt by Nathan Eovaldi, 1-4, moving both runners up a base, and a walk to Bryan Pattersen, and with one man out, Justin Ruggiano hits an RBI single, knocking in Solano, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead, while sending Brantley up to third base, and Pattersen over to second base. The Marlins then made it a 3-2 Phils’ lead as Jose Reyes hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Brantley. The Phils added to their lead in their half of the third as, with a runner on second, and with nobody out, Utley hits an RBI single, knocking in Pierre, who had started the inning off with a double, giving the Phils a 4-2 lead. The Phils then made it a 5-2 lead in the fifth as, with a man on third, and with nobody out, Pierre hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins, who had started the inning off with a walk, next stole second base, then stopped at third base on catcher Brantley’s passed ball. The Marlins got the run back as Giancarlo Stanton hits a lead-off home run, his thirty-fourth home run of the season, making it a 5-3 Phils’ lead. The Phils got the run back as, with one man on, and with one man out, Roy Halladay helped his own cause by hitting an RBI single, scoring Michael Martinez, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 6-3 lead. The Phils then made it an 8-3 lead as, one batter later, after catcher Brantley had committed a foul pop error as he dropped Rollins’ foul pop behind home plate, Rollins hits a two-run home run, his eighteen home run of the season, knocking in Halladay. The Marlins then started a comeback in the seventh as, with one man on, and with one man out, Pattersen hits an RBI double, knocking in Brantley, who had earlier doubled, making it an 8-4 Phils’ lead. After the Phils had brought in Josh Lindblom, the Marlins made it an 8-5 Phils’ lead as Ruggiano hits an RBI single, scoring Pattersen. Three batters later, after Reyes had reached base on a fielding error by Utley, allowing Ruggiano to reach third base, putting runners on the corners, and now with two men out, the Marlins cut the Phils’ lead down to 8-6 as Carlos Lee hits an RBI single, scoring Ruggiano, while sending Reyes up to second base. After Lindblom is replaced on the mound by Jeremy Horst, who had not pitched since September 3, the Marlins made it an 8-7 Phils’ lead as Greg Dobbs hits an RBI single, knocking in Reyes, while sending Lee up to second base. The Phils then made it a 9-7 lead in their half of the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Rollins hits a sacrifice fly, scoring John Mayberry, Jr., who had started the inning off with a double, then moved up to third base on Martinez’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon recorded his thirty-third save of the season, as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Roy Halladay (10-7, 4.01) got the win as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and three walks, while he struck out six. Josh Lindblom pitched a third of an inning, giving up two unearned runs on two hits, while striking out one. Jeremy Horst pitched to a batter, giving up a hit. B.J. Rosenberg collected his second hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Phillippe Aumont also received his second hold of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out two. Jonathan Papelbon received his thirty-third save of the year as he threw a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two. Nathan Eovaldi (4-12, 4.71) took the lost as he went four innings, plus two batters, giving up five runs on eight hits, two walks and a passed ball, while striking out three. Dan Jennings pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk. Chris Hatcher pitched an inning, giving up three runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits, as he struck out a batter. Chad Gaudin pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Mike Dunn pitched two-thirds of an inning, walking three. Heath Bell pitched a scoreless inning, striking out a batter.

The Phils had fifteen hits in the ballgame, with Juan Pierre (2 Singles, Double, RBI) and Chase Utley (Singles, RBI) both leading the team with three hits each, followed by Jimmy Rollins (Single, Home Run, 3 RBIs) and Dom Brown (Singles, RBI) with two hits each. Ryan Howard (Single), Carlos Ruiz (Double, RBI), John Mayberry, Jr. (Double), Michael Martinez (Double) and Roy Halladay (Single, RBI) had the other five Phils’ hits. The other Phil run scored on a doubleplay ball. The Phils also had six walks and a stolen base (Rollins (26)) in the game.

The Phils (71-71, 3rd) will conclude their series with the Marlins (63-80, 5th) with an afternoon game, which will soon be in progress, as the Phils attempt to sweep the fish.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Juan Pierre, who had earlier tripled, would score on a fielder’s choice grounder hit to third by Hunter Pence, beating third baseman’s Hanley Ramirez’s throw to the plate, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while Pence would be safe at first on the play. The Marlins would tie the game up at one-all in the second as, with one man on, and with two men out, Omar Infante hits an RBI double, knocking in Justin Ruggiano, who had earlier singled, then would move up to second base on Greg Dobb’s ground out, 1-3. The Marlins then took the lead as John Buck followed with a double, scoring Infante, giving the fish a 2-1 lead. The Marlins increased their lead in the third as, with two men out, Giancarlo Stanton hits a solo home run, his nineteenth home run of the year, giving the Marlins a 3-1 lead. The Phils would get a run back in the sixth as, with runners on second and third, and with two men out, Pierre, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on Pence’s single, then went to third on Ricky Nolasco’s wild pitch, would score on Nolacso’s second wild pitch of the inning, making it a 3-2 Marlins’ lead, while Pence, who had earlier singled, then stopped at second base on the first wild pitch, would stop at third base. The Marlins increased their lead in the eighth as, with one man on, and with nobody out. Ramirez hits a two-run home run, his twelfth home run of the season, knocking in Jose Reyes, who had earlier walked, then stole second base, giving the Marlins a 5-2 lead. That would be the final score as Heath Bell collected his seventeenth save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

Joe Blanton (7-7, 4.85) took the lost as he went six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Michael Schwimer pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo pitched an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and a walk, striking out two. Ricky Nolasco (7-6, 4.62) got the win as he threw seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while striking out six. Mike Dunn collected his fifth hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man who he would face. Steve Cishek received his ninth hold of the year as he threw two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits, while striking out one. Heath Bell received his seventeenth save of the year by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Juan Pierre (Single, Triple) and Mike Fontenot (Singles), both leading the team with two hits each. Hunter Pence, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. had the other four Phils’ hits, all singles.

Cole Hamels receives no run support, as the Phils lose to the Marlins, 3-2.

The Marlins took the lead in the first as, with two men out, Giancarlo Stanton hits a solo home run, his eighteenth home run of the year, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the second as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Shane Victorino hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who had started the inning off with a double, then stopped at third base on Hunter Pence’s single. The Marlins retook the lead in the third as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Stanton hits an RBI single, scoring Jose Reyes, who had earlier doubled, giving the Marlins a 2-1 lead. The Marlins added to their lead in the fifth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Justin Ruggiano hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Reyes, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, before stealing third as the lead man of a double steal, giving the Marlins a 3-1 lead, while Stanton, who had been intentionally walked, then stole second base in the double steal, would move up to third base. The Phils got a run back in the seventh as, with one man out, Pence hits a solo home run, his sixteenth home run of the season, making it a 3-2 Marlins’ lead. But that would end up being the final score as Heath Bell recorded his sixteenth save by pitching a scoreless ninth.

Cole Hamels (10-4, 3.08) took the loss as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out five. Michael Schwimer threw a scoreless inning, giving up two hits. Mark Buehrle (7-8, 3.48) got the win as he pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Mike Dunn collected his four hold of the season as he pithced a 1-2-3 inning. Heath Bell received his sixteenth save of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Hunter Pence leading the team with three hits, two singles and a home run, knocking in a run, followed by Carlos Ruiz (Single, Double) with two hits. Chase Utley, Shane Victorino (RBI) and Cole Hamels had the other three Phils’ hits, all singles. The Phils also had a walk in the game, as the offense was unable to get a key hit in the game.

Phils starters are hurt by the long ball, as the team loses a pair to the Marlins, losing by the scores of 5-4 and 5-1.

On Saturday, the Phils took the lead in the first as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Carlos Ruiz hits into an RBI ground out, three-unassisted, knocking in Juan Pierre, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on Hunter Pence’s walk, then stole third as the front part of a double steal, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while moving Pence, who had earlier walked, then stole second base as part of a double steal, up to third base. The Phils then made it a 2-0 lead in the second as, with runners on second and third, and with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI infield single, beating third baseman Hanley Ramirez’s throw to first, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Freddy Galvis’ double, while sending Galvis, who had earlier doubled, up to third base. The Phils then added to their lead in the third as Pence hits a lead-off home run, his thirteenth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Marlins would get on the scoreboard in the fourth as Ramirez hits a lead-off home run, his ninth home run of the year, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 3-1. The Marlins would make it a 3-2 Phils’ lead three batters later as, with one man on, and with one man out, Justin Ruggiano hits an RBI double, knocking in Logan Morrison, who had earlier singled. The Marlins took the lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Ramirez hits a two-run home run, his tenth home run of the season, and his second of the ballgame, knocking in Omar Infante, who had started the inning off with a single, giving the Marlins a 4-3 lead. The Marlins added to their lead in the seventh as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Jose Reyes hits an RBI double, scoring Chris Coghlan, who had started the inning off with a walk, then moved up to second base on Ricky Nolasco’s sacrifice bunt, 3-4, giving the Marlins a 5-3 lead. The Phils would get a run back in the eighth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Pence hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Rollins, who had started the inning off with a triple, making it a 5-4 Marlins’ lead, while sending Pierre, who had earlier walked, then stole second base, his second steal of the ballgame, over to third base. That would end up being the final score as Heath Bell recorded his eleventh save of the season by throwing a scoreless ninth, as he got Rollins to pop out to the shortstop for the game’s final out.

Cole Hamels (8-2, 2.81) took the lost as he pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and two walks, while he struck out eight. Chad Qualls pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Michael Schwimer and Raul Valdes combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a walk (Schwimer) between them. Ricky Nolasco (6-3, 4.35) got the win as he went seven innings, plus two batters, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out five. Steve Cishek received his sixth hold of the year as he pitched an inning, giving up a walk, while striking out two. Heath Bell received his eleventh save of the year as he pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up a hit.

The Phils had nine hits in the ballgame, with Jimmy Rollins (Single, Triple, RBI), Juan Pierre (2 Singles) and Placido Polanco (Singles) each leading the team with two hits apiece. Hunter Pence (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Shane Victorino (Single) and Freddy Galvis (Double) had the other three Phils’ hits. Carlos Ruiz knocked in the other Phil run with a ground out. The Phils also had three walks and three stolen bases (Pierre (7 & 8) and Pence (4)) in the ballgame.

On Sunday, the Marlins took the lead in the third as, with one man out, Carlos Zambrano helped his own cause by hitting a solo home run, his first home run of the season, giving the Marlins a quick 1-0 lead. The Marlins made it a 2-0 lead in the fourth as Hanley Ramirez hits a solo home run, his eleventh home run of the year, and his third home run in two days. The Marlins increased their lead in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to John Buck, a single by Chris Coghlan, sending Buck up to second base, and a bunt single by Zambrano, moving both runners up a base, and with no one out, Jose Reyes hits a two-run double, knocking in both Buck and Coghlan, giving the Marlins a 4-0 lead, while sending Zambrano over to third base. Two batters later, with runners still on second and third, and now with one man out, Zambranon scores on Chad Qualls’ wild pitch, making it a 5-0 Marlins’ lead, while Reyes would move up to third base. It would then stay a 5-0 Marlins’ lead as Ramirez hits a grounder to shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who threw out Reyes at the plate on a fielder’s choice force out, as Brian Schneider apply the tag, as Ramirez is safe at first on the play. The Phils would finally score in the eighth as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Pierre hits an RBI single, knocking in Scheider, who had earlier reached base on an infield single, then moved up to second base on Zambrano’s wild pitch, making it a 5-1 Marlins’ lead. That would end up being the final score as Heath Bell recorded his twelfth save of the year by getting Schenider to ground out, 3-unassisted, for the game’s final out.

Joe Blanton (4-6, 5.27) took the lost as he went six innings, plus four batters, giving up five runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out six. Chad Qualls pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit. Jake Diekman and Michael Schwimer combined for one and one-third scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Diekman) between them. Carlos Zambrano (4-3, 2.81) got the win as he went seven and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Steve Cishek pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter. Heath Bell recorded his twelfth save of the season as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men whom he would face.

The Phils had six hits in the game, with Juan Pierre leading the team with three hits, two singles and a double, knocking in the Phils’ lone run. Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco and Brian Schneider had the other three Phils’ hits, all singles. The Phils also had two walks in the ballgame.

The Phils (28-27, 5th East) with begin a four-game series with the Dodgers (33-21, 1st West) with a game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will be sending to the mound Vance Worley (3-2, 3.07), who is coming off an injury. His last start was a win against the Padres on May 11, where he pitched six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out nine, in the Phils’ 7-3 win. He will be trying to keep the Phils in the game, while being kept on a pitch count. The Dodgers will counter with Clayton Kershaw (4-3, 2.42), who is coming off a lost against the Brewers on May 30, as he went for five and two-thirds innings, giving up five run on eight hits and four walks, while striking out seven, in the Dodgers’ 6-3 lost. He will be trying to improve his record. The Phils will be trying to get at least split the series with the Dodgers.

Cliff Lee awful second inning ends the latest Phils chance at a sweep as they lose to the Padres, 5-4.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with two men out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI double, knocking in Chase Utley, who had earlier walked, then go on to third on Ryan Howard’s single, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, before Howard, who had just singled, is thrown out at the plate, 9-4-2, ending the inning, on a play that likely ended up deciding the game’s outcome. The Padres tied it up at one-all in the second as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Rob Johnson hits an RBI double, scoring Jesus Guzman, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Orlando Hudson’s ground out, 4-3. Two batters later, with the runner still on second base, and now with two men out, Chris Denorfia gave the Padres the lead with an RBI single, scoring Johnson, who beat the thrown home, giving the Padres a 2-1 lead, while Denorfia would move up to second base on the throw home. Three batters later, after Denorfia stole third base, and then Jason Bartlett walked to put runner on the corners, as Cliff Lee threw a soft toss to first to keep Bartlett there, Denorfia took off from third base and stole home, beating Howard’s throw to the plate, making it a 3-1 Padres’ lead. The Padres then made it a 4-1 lead as Chase Headley hits an RBI double, scoring Bartlett. The Padres added to their lead in the fourth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Ryan Ludwick hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Denorfia, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on Bartlett’s ground out, 3-unassisted, then stopped at third base on Headley single, before he moved up to second base when Victorino tried to throw out Denorfia at third, giving the Padres a 5-1 lead. The Phils got a run back in their half of the fourth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Dom Brown hits an RBI triple on a fly ball misplayed by Ludwick, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had just doubled, making it a 5-2 Padres’ lead. The Phils then made it a 5-3 Padres’ lead as Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, scoring Brown. The Phils then made it a 5-4 Padres’ lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Victorino, who had just doubled. That would end up being the final score as Heath Bell would record his twenty-ninth save of the season by getting Jimmy Rollins to fly out to right for the final out.

Cliff Lee (9-7, 3.05) took the lost as he went only four innings, giving up five runs on ten hits and a walk, while striking out five. Drew Carpenter, Brad Lidge (making his first apppearance of the season) and Michael Stutes combined for five scoreless innings, giving up just a hit (Carpenter), while striking out five (Carpenter (2), Lidge (1), Stutes (2)) between them. Aaron Harang (9-2, 3.45) got the win as he went six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out two. Chad Qualls collected his tenth hold of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Mike Adams recorded his twenty-second hold of the year as he also pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, as he struck out two. Heath Bell received his twenty-ninth save of the season as he pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Shane Victorino leading the team with three hits, two doubles and a triple, knocking in a run, as he raised his batting average to .302. Raul Ibanez followed with two hits, a single and a double, knocking in a run. Chase Utley (Single), Ryan Howard (Single), Dom Brown (Double, RBI), Carlos Ruiz (Single, RBI) and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. (Single), had the other five Phils’ hits.

The Phils (64-37, 1st East) will start a three-game series with the Giants (59-43, 1st West), starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Vance Worley (6-1, 2.02), who is coming off a win against the Cubs on July 20, as he pitched eight strong innings, giving up a run on four hits and two walks, while he struck out seven, in the Phils’ 9-1 rout. He hopes to give the Phils a chance to win tonight. The Giants will send to the mound their ace Tim Lincecum (8-8, 2.90), who is coming off a lost to the Dodgers on July 20, as he went seven innings, giving up a run on five hits and four walks, while striking out seven, in the Giants’ 1-0 lost. He will be trying to recover from that lost. The Phils will be trying to see if they can get to Lincecum, so that they can start off the series with a win.

For the second straight year, the National League All-Stars win the All-Star Game, as they defeat the American League’s best, 5-1.

The American League took the lead in the All-Star Game in the fourth as, with two men out, Adrian Gonzalez of the Red Sox hits a solo home run off of the Phils’ Cliff Lee, giving the AL a 1-0 lead. The AL tried to make it a 2-0 lead three batters later as, with runners on first and second, via singles by Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays, as first baseman Prince Fielder of the Brewers was unable to catch his pop fly, and Josh Hamilton of the Rangers, sending Bautista up to second base, Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hits a single to left. Bautista tried to score on the hit, but is gun down at home plate by a strong throw from left fielder Hunter Pence, as catcher Brian McCann of the Braves applied the tag, 7-2, for the inning’s final out. The National League then took the lead in their half of the fourth as, with two men on, via singles by Carlos Beltran of the Mets and Matt Kemp of the Dodgers, with Beltran stopping at second base, and with no one out, Fielder crushed a 2-2 cutter into center field for a three-run home run, scoring both Beltran and Kemp, giving the NL a 3-1 lead. The NL added to their lead in the fifth as, with a man on second, and with two men out, pinch hitter Andre Ethier of the Dodgers hits an RBI single, knocking in Rickie Weeks of the Brewers, who had earlier reached first base on a fielder’s choice force out, as pitcher Jordon Walden of the Angels threw home to beat out Starlin Castro of the Cubs, who was pinch running for Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies who had earlier singled, after he had first stolen second base, and then third, as he was tagged out at the plate by catcher Alex Avila of the Tigers for the inning’s second out, 1-2, before Weeks stole second base, giving the NL a 4-1 lead, before he was thrown out at second base as right fielder Bautista’s throw towards home was cut off by first baseman Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, who then threw to shortstop Jhonny Peralta of the Tigers, who then tagged Ethier out at second base for the inning’s final out, 9-3-6. The NL then made it a 5-1 lead in the seventh as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Pablo Sandoval of the Giants hits a RBI ground-rule double to left, knocking in Pence, who head earlier singled, then went all the way to third on catcher Matt Wieters of the Orioles passed ball. That would be the final score as Brian Wilson of the Giants would record a save as he got out the last two batters, Michael Cuddyer of the Twins vis a fly out to right and then Paul Konerko of the White Sox via a ground out, 6-3, after the AL had put runners on second and third, via Carlos Quentin of the White Sox reaching base on shortstop Castro’s throwing error and a single by Matt Joyce of the Rays, which sent Quentin to third base, before he went on to second base on right fielder Jay Bruce of the Reds throwing error.

Roy Halladay of the Phils pitched two 1-2-3 innings, striking out a batter. Cliff Lee of the Phils pitcher one and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on three hits. Tyler Clippard (1-0, 0.00) of the Nationals gets the win as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers received a hold as he pitch a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Jair Jurrjens of the Braves also received a hold as he pitched a scoreless inning and two-thirds, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Craig Kimbrel of the Braves also got a hold as he pitched a scoreless third of an inning, as he walked a batter. Jonny Venters of the Braves pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out one. Heath Bell of the Padres pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Joel Hanrahan of the Pirates would pitch a third of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Brian Wilson of the Giants would receive a save as he pitched two-thirds of an inning. Jered Weaver of the Angels pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter. David Robertson of the Yankees also pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Michael Pineda of the Mariners pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. C.J. Wilson of the Rangers blew the save before taking the lost (0-1, 27.00) as he pitched an inning, giving up three runs on three hits, while striking out a batter. Jordon Walden of the Angels pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out one. Chris Perez of the Indians pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Brandon League of the Mariners pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Alexi Ogando of the Rangers pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face. Gio Gonzalez of the A’s pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only man that he would face.

The American League All-Stars had six hits in the game, a solo home run by Adrian Gonzalez of the Red Sox, and singles by Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays, Josh Hamilton of the Rangers, Adrian Beltre of the Rangers, Kevin Youkilis of the Red Sox and Matt Joyce of the Rays. The National League All-Stars had nine hits in the game, a single by Lance Berkman of the Cardinals, a single by Carlos Beltran of the Mets, a single by Matt Kemp of the Dodgers, a three run home run by Prince Fielder of the Brewers, a single by Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies, an RBI single by pinch hitter Andre Ethier of the Dodgers, a double by Yadier Molina of the Cardinals, a single by Hunter Pence of the Astros and an RBI ground-rule double by Pablo Sandoval of the Giants.

The victory gives the National League a 42-38-2 lead over the American League, while it will also give the National League pennant winner home field advantage during the upcoming World Series.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.